Jean Called 'inspired Choice' For Governor General

Is this an inspiring choice, or a provocative choice?

Michelle Jean is clearly an intelligent women, but is she a Canadian symbol and would Haiti choose a white Canadian as their symbol?

I realize we have had a minority female before--Adrienne Clarkson, and another women before--Jean Sauvee.

This all being said, I think a Canadian head of state should reflect a majority of our population, and a representative of the crown should be much better at English than Michelle Jean is. Jean is also young and clearly knows little about Canada. This is a bad thing in a minority government--this position IS important.

Seeing Paul Martin say that because Michelle Jean is an immigrant and minority success story, "this is what Canada has always been about", that was too much for me to take.

I was also disappointed at the unbalanced coverage on "The National" on CBC. They only interviewed people who were ignorant or dismissive of the governor general position, or who loved Michelle Jean......

I think CBC knows that a majority of Canadians are not thrilled at having a feminist, anti-racist, foreign-born governor general who helped make a documentary about HOW RACIST CANADA IS TOWARDS BLACK PEOPLE. Sick. Absolutely disgusting.

My position is this is demeaning to a Canadian institution, tradition and symbol. I though we were past having foreign-born governor generals with Massey, but I guess not.

At Michelle Jean's press conference, it honestly sounded like an ESL class.

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The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.

- Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, The Iraqi Informat

I think she was an excellent choice. Canada is a country of immigrants, we are one of only a few countries that have relatively open immigration policies and I think that is something to celebrate.

Just because she wasn't born here doesn't make her citizenship any less real then anybody else's and I think people who think otherwise should maybe open their minds.

Where do you get your stats that the majority of Canadians don't want "a feminist, anti-racist, foreign-born governor general" Everyone I have talked too seems to think it was a good idea. And I am in the heart of southern Alberta, where a black person kinda stands out in a crowd.

Perturbed: Do you think a leader has to be born in a country to lead it?

Canada is a multi-cultural community that holds freedom and equality above all else (unlike some other self proclaimed bastiens of freedom). Our leaders should reflect that, and not be just a bunch of old white guys.

Another flunky who will waste our money.Never even heard of her.

"Never even heard of her."

Then yer even I doubt she is aware of you LOL
on the waste of money, I agree



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"If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things."

-Rene Descartes

"This all being said, I think a Canadian head of state should reflect a majority of our population, and a representative of the crown should be much better at English than Michelle Jean is."

1) The majority of Canadians are either immigrants or the first generation descendants of immigrants, so she is a veritable mirror held up to the nation.

2)Your writing, e.g. "...should be much better at English than Michelle Jean is" hardly qualifies you as a critic of the english language.

Inspired by Liberals trying to cover graft and corruption with 'feel-good' stories that they can stamp their name onto. It doesn't make the Liberals any better at governing - they're still totally incompetent and immoral.

Criticisms of chosing Jean for this position based on her immigrant/minority status are so misguided and distasteful they can't be taken seriously. There is no evidence that she "clearly knows little about Canada" and as the prominent journalist she is she probably knows a fair deal about it, in fact. And to me at 26, 48 is hardly all that young, just because for some stupid reason our most powerful heads of state are usually white men in their 70s. Nor is it any real problem that she doesn't speak English "clearly" enough for some apparently--neither did Chretien, and many male politicians have little knowledge of one or the other official language while hardly anyone says boo.

And Perturbed, if you have a problem with feminist anti-racists you'd better take it up directly with me, since I happily claim those labels for myself. I'll remind you you're also posting to the site I founded and still preside over, and which is based on those same ideals.

But anyway I do have one main gripe here. I realize there is a large cultural component to the position of GG, and in that sense these choices of women who are journalists etc make some sense. But the GG is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces (a position held by the President in the US). Shouldn't we be picking people who make more sense for that role? As it stands it just seems to me they're picking people who are "famous" in some way (ie on TV) and using them as a giant rubber stamp for whatever the ruling government wants to do. Instead of just handing out medals and appointing the Chief of Defence Staff etc on the recommendation of the real men in power, perhaps it would be nice to have someone in this position with actual opinions. Instead they just visit the troops and encourage them to keep fighting whatever wrong-headed conflict the US dragged us into (eg Afghanistan, eg Haiti).

So frankly, picking a "young" female member of a visible minority for such a figurehead position is nice, but to me it seems like they can do it to score some political points (look how progressive we are!) mainly because she doesn't have a lot of real power. So I'd much rather see more young female minority or immigrant MPs, and for that matter, a "young" female minority PM!! Let's celebrate THEN or have controversy over THAT, because it would mean something far more significant.

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"When I told him about class warfare, he asked if we did it in JellO."--translation/paraphrase, The Candidate, CBC

Perturbed, you must be going ballistic. Our new GG is black and a francophone. How can you sleep at night?

Jean represents all Canadians, except, perhaps, racists like you.

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If you don't like these ideas, I've got others. --Marshall McLuhan

She was chosen based on her immigrant/minority status, so why can't the choice be criticized for those same reasons?

yes, Action-Jackson Perturbed's worst nightmare I bet.

This is the email I sent to Paul Martin and The Star and Globe and Mail. Not because I expect them to print it but because I cc media with every email I send MPs or the PM.

I am very disappointed that Ms. Jean chose the position of Governor General because her life experience likely gives her the deep understanding a Canadian Prime Minister could use for standing up for our "Canadian" values, and "Canadian" freedoms. I'm disappointed she didn't choose to vie for the job of Prime Minister. But with Paul Martin's cunning he couldn't have made a better choice than Ms. Jean. She's someone with a large enough grace and spirit that the ugly face of Paul Martin, Rick Hillier, Pierre Pettigrew, Bill Graham, Anne McLellan, Andy Mitchell, Irwin Cotler, Frank McKenna, Stephen Harper, Peter McKay, and well, you get the picture, can all hide behind her. Well done!

4Canada/4Revolution

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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

I have to agree with your sentiments 4Canada. Jean seems to be an activist. Though, hopefully she can bring some of that activism to the office.

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If you don't like these ideas, I've got others. --Marshall McLuhan

How old are you, 24? That would exaplin why all of your well-trained friends agree with it.

I will now answer your question and respond to your uninformed and embarrassing comments:

"Canada is a country of immigrants, we are one of only a few countries that have relatively open immigration policies and I think that is something to celebrate."

Fact: almost every white, western nation in western Europe, Canada, America, New Zealand and Australia ALL have open immigration policies. Only the non-white countries do not as much, because their violent racism wouldn't allow it

Fact: over 80% of Canadians are born in Canada. We have had several waves of immigraation, but we are not a "nation of immigrants". Contemporary Canada was largely built before the waves of immigration started in the early 20th century. European immigrants assimilated to that reality.

By stating "all of Canadians are immigrants", you are stripping every person who considers themselves Canadian of their citizenship. My family has been in Ontario for several generations. How dare you call me an immigrant.

"Just because she wasn't born here doesn't make her citizenship any less real then anybody else's and I think people who think otherwise should maybe open their minds."


resonse: do you think a white English or French Canadian would be equally Indian or Chinese if they were granted Indian or Chinese citizenship? Do you think someone here for 3 years is the same as someone whose family has been here for decades or centuries? Get real and wake up.


"Perturbed: Do you think a leader has to be born in a country to lead it?"

Ahhh, it is ILLEGAL for a non-citizen to be Prime Minister of Canada, as well as President of the U.S.A....I'm not sure why this rule does not apply to governor general. I assume it is because until Vincent Massey was chosen, our governor generals were always British citizens.

"Canada is a multi-cultural community that holds freedom and equality above all else (unlike some other self proclaimed bastiens of freedom)."


resonse:

You sound like the Minisry of Truth from the Liberal Party!

We never had freedom--we have Bill-36 and our freedom of speech restricting "anti-hate" laws, to prevent us from discussing the rapid demographic changes in our formerly clean cities without fear of going to jail--a la Ernst Zundel who was never formally charged with anything.

As for multiculturalism, that was a fairy-tale lie from the very beginning, and many can see that.


"Our leaders should reflect that, and not be just a bunch of old white guys."

response:

You mean the old white guys who built a civilized 1st-world nation where the native hunter gatherers couldn't. The ones who created the amazing Canada of the 1950s with all that potential which was progressively raped by liberalism. You mean the people who created the country that your family likely immigrated to (not that long ago?) from the dreadful hell of eastern europe you ungrateful anti-white brat.












---
The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.

- Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, The Iraqi Informat

Hi notacolony.ca

1. Over 80% of Canadians are born in Canda to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation immigrants. You lied. People don't stay immigrants forever.

You think a relatively illiterate women who represents a downtrodden minority group who make up WAY under 1% of Canada's population is a "mirror to the nation." HA! Off the meds again?????

Your writing, e.g. "...should be much better at English than Michelle Jean is" hardly qualifies you as a critic of the english language.


2. I can tell watching TV if someone is sstumbling through a sentence.

-I can also tell when someone knowns nothing about this country, other than her anti-white B.S. documentary about how "racist" Canada is, even though we let her come here and BE OUR FRIGGIN GOVERNOR GENERAL!!!!!!! China would stone her, and we let her be our goddam head of state, and she called us racist and said her primary goal was to "help her native country."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.

- Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, The Iraqi Informat

Hi Susan. I love debates.

"Criticisms of chosing Jean for this position based on her immigrant/minority status are so misguided and distasteful they can't be taken seriously."

--Don't you think it is a bit dismissive and ridiuclous to call a very common opinion distasteful and not serious? Is is a crime to want our governor general to be a citizen and part of the majority like out prime minsters are?


"I realize there is a large cultural component to the position of GG...."

--Foreign cultures apparently.

"Perhaps it would be nice to have someone in this position with actual opinions."

--The oppostion could then say the Queen was "interfering in our political system."

"So I'd much rather see more young female minority or immigrant MPs, and for that matter, a "young" female minority PM!! Let's celebrate THEN or have controversy over THAT, because it would mean something far more significant."

--A minority PM? Yeah lets have a Chinese PM who takes orders from Bejing.


Move to Toronto or Vancouver Susan and then tell me you want more minority MPs.





---
The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfield deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.

- Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, The Iraqi Informat